Somaliland: Finance Ministry Seeks 2016 Budget Parliamentary Approval

First to be prepared under the watch of Zamzam Abdi as finance minister with a 13% increase over that of 2015

By: Yusuf M Hasan

HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The administration of President Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo has allocated $295,280,174 towards its operational funding in 2016.

This is per the minister of Finance Zamzam Abdi Aden while submitting the cdentral Coffers budget for 20126 to the House of Represnetatives, the lower house of the Somaliland parliament for perusal, debate and either approval or rejection.

As per the norm the administration has already given a go ahead to the budget prior to presentastion to legisltors following the unanimous approval by the council of ministers at a session chaired by the head of state

This follows the unanimous approval by members of the cabinet of a draft budget proposal by finance minister Zamzam Abdi Aden worth almost $300m

In her first budget presentation to parliament and the country’s 24th Minister Zamzam informed that courtesy of improved public financial management the 2016 central coffers have realized $295,280,174 for public services.

Surpassing by 13% the 2015 budget worth $251m which was then termed the biggest in the history of Somaliland and having surpassed the previous one by almost a third the 2016 figures are divided in five sub-heads as indicated below in a table availed by the presidential spokesperson Eng Hussein Egge who is a nonvoting member of the council of ministers.

The first female Somaliland Minister of Finance staring bravely at the legisltors at the session chaired by deputy speaker Bashe Mohamed Farah reveald that major areas in which the 2016 Has accrued its monies include

· Customs and Excise

· Income Tax

· Fuel Depository

· Communications

· Commercial Licences

· Rent and Sale of public property (Land, Buildings and Scrap metal)

· Local Governments

· Minerals

· Fishing

· Agriculture

· Livestock Quarantine rent

· Income from Parastatals

· Road, Licence, and Transport Levy and

· Somaliland Development Fund

At the same legislators were informed that following Public Finance management-PFM Reform and establishment of a Fudiciary Office with the ministry of Finance has managed to harness public funds accrued thence the huhe increrase.

apart from the institunalization of Proper PFM systems the inclusion of a $1m donation from the World Bank the ministry is also to benefit from a Somaliand Specific Finance Management Information Systerm from the Washington based which shall connect all related departments nationwide come 2016.

Once legislators approve the budget shall be return to the presidency for signature thence turning it into a national management document thats details funds sources as well as governing availabilty and disburdsmemt of monies intednfor public administration in 2016.